Insights · Framework
Paid-media quarterly review framework
Budgets renew by default unless someone puts evidence in front of the decision-maker. This framework structures the quarterly review so that paid spend is defended, reduced or stopped on cost per qualified inquiry and on what earned demand now delivers.
How to use it
Before the first step.
- Requires conversion tracking integrity and attribution to be in place; otherwise the numbers are not comparable.
- The decision-maker attends; the review ends with a recorded decision.
Steps
Each one owned and evidenced.
| # | Step | Owner | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Reconcile platform conversion counts against inquiries the business actually received for the quarter. | Paid media lead | Reconciliation table |
| 02 | Compute cost per qualified inquiry by campaign and by platform. | Paid media lead | Cost per inquiry table |
| 03 | Compute inquiry volume by source: paid, organic, AI-referred, direct, referral, with trend. | Measurement lead | Source report |
| 04 | Compute earned-demand share and its trend against baseline. | Measurement lead | Trend chart with data |
| 05 | Identify spend that produced no qualified inquiries and spend where earned demand now covers the same intent. | Paid media lead | Redundancy analysis |
| 06 | Review search-term governance, negative lists and automation settings changed during the quarter. | Paid media lead | Change log |
| 07 | Assess platform policy or compliance issues arising in the quarter. | Compliance lead | Compliance note |
| 08 | Draft the recommendation: raise, hold or cut by campaign and platform, with reasoning. | Paid media lead | Recommendation memo |
| 09 | Hold the review with the budget owner; record the decision and its reasons. | Budget owner | Decision record |
| 10 | Set the next quarter’s budget allocation and the triggers for mid-quarter changes. | Paid media lead | Allocation and trigger list |
By David Selakovic · Published 2026-10-16 · Revised 2026-10-16 · Reviewed every 180 days